In increasingly automated packaging systems, once an article has been placed in a container for shipment, a conveyor typically moves the container to an automated container closing and/or sealing assembly for closing the container and sealing it for shipment. The automated equipment also can apply a shipping label and/or the appropriate postage for the container.
One of the more common types of shipping containers is a cardboard box having one or more flaps that close an open side of the box. Once the box is ready to be sealed, automated assemblies can fold the flaps over the open side to close the box and then automatically seal the box for shipment, such as by taping the box closed. Automated assemblies that close the box and apply tape to hold the box closed can be referred to as automatic taping machines, and automated assemblies that just apply tape can be referred to as semi-automatic taping machines.
When the taping machine is sealing containers with a consistent height, a fixed-height tape-applying assembly applies tape to seal the containers. When sealing containers with different heights, an adjustable-height tape-applying assembly raises and lowers as needed to apply the tape and seal the containers.
One type of adjustable-height tape-applying assembly includes a pressure switch at an upstream end. When a container engages the pressure switch, the tape-applying assembly raises its height relative to the conveyor until the container no longer engages the pressure switch. The tape-applying assembly then proceeds to tape the container closed as it moves through or past the tape-applying assembly.